The Pitch: City Love 2 by Belinda Williams Read Free Book Online Page B

going to argue with him. My staff did come to me if they needed to. I liked to think it was because they respected me and I gave the impression that I was in control. I also genuinely enjoyed offering them my support – unlike Paul, who sounded as though he’d run a mile before dealing with anyone’s personal problems.
    “I’m guessing a female staff member coming to you in tears would be the stuff of nightmares?”
    He winced and I laughed. “How about you introduce me to Greg for any staffing advice I may need?” I suggested.
    “Gladly.” Paul stood and picked up the folder, indicating the conversation was finished. I followed him out, switching off the lights as I went.
    After I locked the glass entrance doors and we were waiting for the elevator, I turned to face Paul. “You’re not off the hook yet. So why you would be playing covers in a pub somewhere if not for Greg?”
    Paul held the door open while I entered the elevator. “I had designs on becoming the next Australian rock success. I was a lead guitarist in a band at university, which was far more satisfying than my studies. Greg was the drummer. After we graduated, Greg set up a small media agency. He asked me to help out with a few of the pitches early on and it turned out I was good at it.”
    I raised my eyebrows. Paul was becoming more and more interesting. “So is this the same agency you both run today?”
    “No. That only lasted a year and then we went our separate ways. I got the taste for pitching though. After that I built a name for myself in the industry. By our early thirties, Greg and I were both sick of working for other people. That’s when the idea for NTRtain began.”
    I wasn’t going to let the rock star Paul of yesteryear fade just yet. “Did you play lead guitar and vocals?”
    He shook his head. “Lead guitar, but I sing flat. The guys wouldn’t even let me do backing vocals.”
    “Did you have groupies?”
    “That’s how I met my wife.”
    And just like that, all the breath left me. It was irrational and ridiculous, but the news that Paul had a wife deeply affected me. Don’t be so stupid, Madeleine. Of course he has a wife. Even with my subconscious berating me, it didn’t stop the cold feeling settling like a stone in the pit of my stomach.
    The elevator arrived at the ground floor and I was careful not to look at him as he held the door open for me. “I bet that makes a good story to tell family and friends,” I said.
    “Not really. Laura and I divorced five years ago. It’s not something I really bring up with the boys.”
    Boys? I was reeling now. The way he mentioned the divorce, so matter-of-fact, made it obvious it was ancient history.
    “How old are your boys?” I asked.
    “Jack’s twelve and Noah is seven.”
    “They must keep you busy.” God, what an inane comment, but I wasn’t sure what else to say.
    “Not really. I only get to see them every second weekend.”
    We were almost at the foyer doors, but I stopped. He slowed and turned when he realized I wasn’t beside him.
    “That’s shit, Paul.” It was hardly eloquent, but it was the way I felt.
    Paul didn’t say anything, he just stared at me. He looked weary all of a sudden. Finally he shrugged, then turned back toward the exit. As he pressed the after hours button to exit the building, he said quietly, “One of my regrets.”
    I followed him out into the night.

Chapter 8
    Sydney Harbour stretched out before me like a landscape painting. The creamy white arches of the Opera House gleamed in the morning sun and the jagged horizon of city skyscrapers loomed imposingly from behind. To the right, Circular Quay bustled with green and yellow passenger ferries. Sailboats dotted the harbor in what was shaping up to be a beautiful spring day.
    A contented smile played on my lips. I breathed in the crisp morning breeze, a heady mix of sea salt and jasmine. Grounded Marketing was where I spent most of my days, but my harborside one bedroom